There are plenty of local SEO ranking factors in Google’s algorithm to rank high in local search results. Success relies on a variety of different signals, which can make it difficult to know where to put effort into it. For local businesses to rank well for relevant search terms, it is important to dedicate your attention to a number of factors. With most small businesses now understanding the importance of local SEO, the competition alone naturally makes ranking in local search results difficult. 

Local SEO (local search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing your business’s website presence so that you show up when close by customers do a search related to your business and services. 

Small businesses should prioritize local SEO because: 

• Local search intent is specific. Local customers look for businesses near them that can provide a specific service. 
• Local search can lead to an increase in customer visits. Google research shows that 76% of customers who conduct a local search visit a business within 24 hours. 
• Local searches have a higher purchase intent. 

Local customers that do a search are ready to visit a business and make a purchase. They are looking for a place nearby that offers what they are looking for. Local SEO helps them find what they are looking for.

If you are a small business looking to increase local organic traffic, knowing how to optimize your metadata for local SEO is vital to your business’s success. This is important because it will help your website rank for local search terms that will drive traffic to your website & ultimately increase your bottom line. 

Another important local SEO ranking factor in optimizing your website’s metadata for local SEO is providing the user with key information about what your business has to offer. Think about meta titles & descriptions as the page’s opportunity to “advertise” itself. By providing the right information to the user within search results, you will start to notice an increase in your website’s click-through rate (CTR).

1. Page titles should be between 30 and 60 characters
2. Meta descriptions should be between 70 and 160 characters
3. Make each title and description unique
4. Titles and descriptions should summarize pages accurately
5. Include your unique selling points
6. They should include relative keywords or “trigger” words
7. Write for humans, not robots

1) Include Service Keywords In Meta Title & Description

The first goal should be easy enough to understand because it is so commonly used by local businesses. More often than not you will see many service keywords included in both titles and descriptions for online business listings. If you’re offering your services locally – say to customers within 30 miles of your zip code – then you absolutely want to have phrases like “air conditioner repairs and services”  or “affordable dental care” included in either the page’s title or description.

Once you have the service keyword in your title, try to include some other effective Local SEO keywords which are important to be found by search engines. For example, if you’re a carpentry business try including the terms “carpenter craftsman” and/or “home remodeling.” If you run a restaurant website include phrases like “New York restaurants,” “best local seafood,” or “NYC brunch.” These terms can both help out with your local SEO efforts while also generating traffic for more generalized keywords.

2) Use Local Keywords and Service Terms in the Title & Description

The next effective Local SEO keyword goal is to make sure that you mention your location in either the title or description (and preferably both). Something extremely simple yet effective is to use targeted keywords in your title and then localize them with a targeted location in the description. This can be especially effective if you’re trying to attract customers from another town or city, like “air conditioner repairs and services in Abington, PA”

If you are aiming to increase your local organic traffic, creating a separate page for each service area is key to your business’s local SEO success. For example, if your business offers heating oil delivery in multiple areas, you will need to create a page for each area. This is a simple yet effective way of not only creating more content for your website with service-based keywords but also creating your business with the opportunity to pull in more customers from each area you provide services in.

3) Write For Users, Not Just Search Engines

The last effective Local SEO keyword goal is to make sure that you write in a way that makes sense both to search engines and human beings. Make sure to include localized keywords while also including information that helps tell potential customers more about what they would find when visiting your website (or whatever online business listing you might have).

Let’s say you are writing metadata for a service-based page in Philadelphia. Keep your target audience in mind when writing your titles & descriptions. Include keywords like near city hall or across from Love Park so the user has an idea of where your business is located.

In the end, effective local SEO requires location-specific targeted keywords. Make sure to include your service keywords in your title and description, while also taking advantage of effective local SEO opportunities by including location-specific terms in both places. If you’re interested in learning more about local SEO and other ways to get your business ranking higher in Google, check out the rest of our blogs here. If you would like some assistance with your SEO, click the buttons below or learn more about our SEO services here!